mint management
Tonisito “Toni” Umali, President
The former Deputy-Director General of TESDA and Undersecretary for DepED, Tonisito is the newest president of MINT College. He began his career at DepED and contributed to key legislations such as the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, the Kindergarten Education Act, and the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013, among others. He is also a member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and the American Bar Association, having earned his Juris Doctor degree from Ateneo and having passed the California State Bar examination. He was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Public Administration by PUP.
Hendrik Kiamzon, Executive Vice President
Hendrik of the original founders of MINT, starting out as the Director for Admissions in 2010 until he took over operations as Executive Vice President three years later. Before MINT, Hendrik was involved in starting up a number of tech companies in the areas of wireless broadband, medical transcription, and printing. He also previously worked as a Branch Administrator and Trader at UBS AG in New York, prior to his move to the Philippines. He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, with a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Management, and minor in Graphic Design.
Jonathan Tinga, Program Review and Content Development
Jonathan Tinga works directly with program heads and faculty in developing and customizing curricula for both college and senior high school levels. Prior to MINT, Jon headed K2 Interactive, a digital agency focused on creative and technical solutions. He has a double degree: the first a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of the Philippines-Diliman, and the second in Industrial Design from the Rochester Institute of Technology, New York.
academic program heads
Lachmi Baviera, Program Head
Music Business Management
A former board member of the Philippine Association for the Recording Industry (PARI), Lachmi currently heads the MBM program here at MINT. She continues the legacy of the late Eugene Villaluz, founder of the program, who passed away in 2017. During her time as the General Manager at Warner Music Philippines, she lead the company into the digital age by transforming it from a traditional music label into a digital entertainment company. Besides bringing her professional experience from the music business world to academia, she has also made it her personal mission to uplift the Philippine music scene by providing more opportunities for independent artists to showcase their talent globally. She studied Marketing at St. Paul's College, Manila.
Lizza Gutierrez, Program Head
Multimedia Arts
Lizza is the Multimedia Arts (MMA) Program Head and full time Art Director and Graphic Designer at Lizza's Room. With over two decades of creative experience, Lizza has been providing her expertise in graphic and publishing design for clients in the US and Philippines. Most recently, her MMA students won 5 out of 7 awards, including Gold, at the Adobo Design Awards Asia 2017 despite it being MINT’s first time competing. Lizza obtained her Masters in Communication and Packaging Design from the Pratt Institute in New York City. Her Bachelor’s degree is in Industrial Design from the University of the Philippines.
Amparo “Ampi” Pe, Program Head
Film & Video
As program head for Film, Amparo trains students in the art of storytelling befitting her background in communications, video production, and journalism. Soon after obtaining her post-graduate degree, she became an Associate Editor under Chris Connelly at Premiere Magazine, and produced for a revered news outfit named Probe with Cheche Lazaro. Amparo has managed numerous productions for clients such as San Miguel Corporation and PLDT. She received her Masters in Communication from the Annenburg School for Communication, University of Southern California, and a Bachelor’s in History from the University of the Philippines-Dilliman.
James "Mony" Romana, Program Head
IMAC (Marketing) & Entrepreneurship
Mony has been a faculty member in Marketing and Music Business Management at MINT College since 2012, and was installed as the Marketing Program Head in 2016. He was formerly the International Marketing Manager for Warner Music Entertainment where he successfully launched albums by Sugar Ray and The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and handled promotions for The Corrs and Alanis Morisette. His experience also spans the digital space with various tech startups focused on developing apps for project and artist management. He took up his undergraduate studies at the University of the Philippines-Diliman, and has a Masters in Business Administration from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.
John “Jim” Imbong, Program Coordinator
Information Technology
John heads the Information Technology department as Program Head. He brings an impressive set of skills and experience from the computing and technology industries. He is currently the Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of ServeHappy Jobs, an online recruitment service for restaurant and hospitality industries. ServeHappy also won the grand prize for Best Startup during the Seedstars World (Switzerland) contest in 2017. John was previously an I.T. consultant for the Asian Development Bank, and an Adobe User Group Manager for game development. He received his bachelor’s in Communications from Ateneo de Manila University.
Arvin Buendia, Program Head
Computer Science
As the head of our Computer Science department, Arvin exceptionally trains students in the realm of robotics, programming, and engineering. He spearheads projects that challenges our students to enhance their skills in these fields while improving the curriculum. Soon after obtaining her post-graduate degree, she became an associate editor under Chris Connelly at Premiere Magazine. Before coming to MINT, he was a guest lecturer in the University of Makati and a Robotics Curriculum Provider at Lyceum of the Philippines. He is also a Robotics and Automation Product Manager at Norde International Distributors.
Beatrice “Ach” Achacoso, SHS Adviser & Instructor
Senior High School
As the adviser for Senior High School, she helps build the educational foundation that our SHS students need for when they enter university and the real world. She teaches Character Formation, Practical Research, Mathematics in the Modern World, Philippine Politics & Governance, and Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction. Moreover, she took up BA Public Administration in UP-Diliman, and is currently taking up Master’s in Developmental Policy in De La Salle University-Manila. She also worked for DepED as Education Program Specialist II and Technical Assistant, and for Unilab Foundation as Program Lead. (Photo by Israel Pepito Jr.)
remembering our founder
Baltazar Endriga✝︎, Former President and Founder
He is the former president and one of the original founders of MINT College since its establishment in June 2010. He represents MINT’s progressive academe for business, arts, and technology, with his experience and know-how in the field of business and the arts. He graduated magna cum laude in Accountancy from University of the East. He was also a Johnson Foundation Scholar and Peter Deuticke Fellow at Harvard Business School, where he received his Masters in Business Administration. After business school, he held positions such as Managing Director and President of Andersen Consulting Philippines, a multinational business and IT company; President and Chairman of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP); and President of UE, his Alma Mater.